Summary and Reviews of Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

Careless People

A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism

by Sarah Wynn-Williams
  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • First Published:
  • Mar 11, 2025, 400 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Book Summary

An explosive memoir charting one woman's career at the heart of one of the most influential companies on the planet, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to Facebook, the decisions that have shaped world events in recent decades, and the people who made them.

From trips on private jets and encounters with world leaders to shocking accounts of misogyny and double standards behind the scenes, this searing memoir exposes both the personal and the political fallout when unfettered power and a rotten company culture take hold. In a gripping and often absurd narrative where a few people carelessly hold the world in their hands, this eye-opening memoir reveals what really goes on among the global elite.

Sarah Wynn-Williams tells the wrenching but fun story of Facebook, mapping its rise from stumbling encounters with juntas to Mark Zuckerberg's reaction when he learned of Facebook's role in Trump's election. She experiences the challenges and humiliations of working motherhood within a pressure cooker of a workplace, all while Sheryl Sandberg urges her and others to "lean in."

Careless People is a deeply personal account of why and how things have gone so horribly wrong in the past decade―told in a sharp, candid, and utterly disarming voice. A deep, unflinching look at the role that social media has assumed in our lives, Careless People reveals the truth about the leaders of Facebook: how the more power they grasp, the less responsible they become and the consequences this has for all of us.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

Media Reviews

New York Times
Devastating ... funny ... highly enjoyable ... A Bridget Jones's Diary-style tale of a young woman thrown into a series of improbable situations

The Washington Post
The book...reads like a spicy office memoir if your officemates travel by private jet and your boss asks for a rally of 1 million people.

Financial Times (UK)
Jaw-dropping ... A tell-all tome.

Guardian (UK)
Amazing: of all the books in all the world Mr. Free Speech Zuckerberg wants to ban, it's the one about him.

Author Blurb Maria Semple
This book is unbelievable and necessary. First off, it's wonderfully written, propulsive, novelistic, and LOL at times. It details the morally bankrupt forces atop Facebook who are personally, knowingly responsible for a swath of crimes against yes, humanity…I so, so recommend this book. It's a zippy read, and like I said, at times truly funny to be in the room where it happens with these morally bankrupt snowflakes…an amazing gift that this book was written.

Author Blurb Roxane Gay
Careless People is really well-written, funny, horrifying, and quite compelling. I was on the edge of my seat, turning pages as fast as I could and ended up reading the book in less than a day. I cackled. I gasped. I laughed. I cringed. I cackled some more. I cringed some more.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked Careless People, try these:

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The Jackal's Mistress
    by Chris Bohjalian
    From the New York Times bestselling author of Hour of the Witch, a Civil War love story of a Confederate wife and a wounded Yankee.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Jane and Dan at the End of the World
    by Colleen Oakley

    Date Night meets Bel Canto in this hilarious tale.

  • Book Jacket

    Girl Falling
    by Hayley Scrivenor

    The USA Today bestselling author of Dirt Creek returns with a story of grief and truth.

  • Book Jacket

    The Antidote
    by Karen Russell

    A gripping dust bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town.

Who Said...

I am what the librarians have made me with a little assistance from a professor of Greek and a few poets

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

T B S of T F

and be entered to win..